


A hundred heartbeats late

by Jamesandthedog



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Invisibility Cloak (Harry Potter), Jilytober 2018, Marauders' Era, Smuggling booze, Tumblr: jilytober, Underage Drinking, jily, jilytober, she's falling for him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 16:39:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jamesandthedog/pseuds/Jamesandthedog
Summary: “I have told you a million times not to call me that.”“But you kind of like it when I do, don't you?”Then the class room door opened and he backed against the wall pulling her closer under the silvery cloak. Suddenly she was closer to him than ever, only her crossed hands between them keeping her from leaning onto James.





	A hundred heartbeats late

“I’m going to kill you if we get caught, Potter.”

“Oh, but then you'd miss my splendid companion.”

“Have you ever considered you may not be quite as splendid company as you think?”

“Now that's just mean, Lils.”

“I have told you a million times not to call me that.”

“But you kind of like it when I do, don't you?”

Then the class room door opened, and he backed against the wall pulling her closer under the silvery cloak. Suddenly she was closer to him than ever, only her crossed hands between them keeping her from leaning onto James.

Lily could hear the footsteps, a meow the cat let out, the sound of James' steady breathing and her heart pounding of in her ears. She felt the light fabric falling on her shoulders hiding them from sight, and one of his hands still on her lower back. As she raised her eyes she saw a pair of hazel brown ones looking right back at her, he had his forefinger pressed on his lips as a sign of silence.

And silent they were as the cat walked in, followed by the caretaker.

It was a stupid thing. She was not supposed to be in an empty class room in the middle of night hiding from Mr. Filch — she was a prefect for Merlin’s sake.

It had been James to corrupt her, after she had found him twenty minutes ago near the statue of One-Eyed Witch carrying a rucksack and a bag — both full of alcohol. He might have turned seventeen a few months ago but drinking at the castle grounds was never allowed.

Lily had originally taken five points off Gryffindor and ordered him to sleep, but that had not worked out. Instead she had gotten a long explanation on how her interference would ruin the Quidditch Cup victory party the day after tomorrow. After only five minutes of arguing on the matter he had somehow convinced Lily that her best option was to help him carry the second rucksack waiting in the secret passage she had not even known about, so that he would not sneak out yet again to retrieve it.

She did not quite know how it had happened.

Lily tried to convince herself it was only because the liquor was for the whole house and no prefect would stand on the way of their own house's Quidditch victory party.

They had run into Mrs. Norris of course. And now there they were, hiding under an invisibility cloak Lily had not known he owned, hiding a massive amount of alcohol from the observant eyes of Mr. Filch. James had still a rucksack on his back, rest of the bags lay on their feet under the cloak. He had been clever enough to charm the bottles not to make any unwanted cracking noises, but there had been no time to transfigure the bags to anything less illegal. Not that it would have mattered much if they were to be caught.

The caretaker's lantern illuminated the room, creating shadows on the walls as he walked between the rows of desks. Lily felt some of her tension disappear as she realized the cloak truly hid them from sight. Any other day she would have been intrigued by it, after all she was able to see the silvery light fabric and at the same time effortlessly see through it. It certainly explained how James and his pack of misfits had been able to do all their shenanigans without being caught. Then her attention moved to another fact, and she sought his eyes. It was easy, he was already gazing at her.

“Your hand, Potter.” She formed the words without sound.

He raised his eyebrows as if he had been oblivious of her meaning, and it wasn’t before Lily gave him a strict look, that his expression changed to an apologetic but somewhat jovial grin which made her wonder if he had known perfectly well his hand had been on a restricted area reserved only for those with permission. The boy removed his hand from her back, and the way in which he tucked his hands in his pockets and looked at her innocently, made her roll her eyes and hid a smile.

It had been their fourth year when James had asked her out for the very first time. He had made it sound as if he was doing her a favor because he was the most desirable boy of the class – at least in his own head - and she could not possibly want to spend her time around a slimy Slytherin such as Severus Snape – Snivellus as he said laughing. She had told him she’d rather kiss a flesh-eating slug than spend an hour in a company of such a self-centered bully. He had laughed. After that James made almost like a game out of it, asking her out whenever the opportunity stoke with the most idiotic pick-up lines that build up his already overflowing ego and amazed his friends and the rest of their class. It lasted for a few weeks or so before she stopped talking to him and he got bored.

He had asked her out only twice after that on the spring of their fifth year, both times when Severus had been there to hear it. She had confronted him after, accusing him of simply wanting to annoy Severus. He didn’t admit it of course. It was one of the most irritating treats he had, never giving up on debates.

Now that their sixth year was closing to an end Lily had to admit that some of James’ arrogance had worn off over the years and the bullying had turned into more or less justified outbursts such as him jinxing her former friend Severus and some other Slytherins involved in hexing muggleborns. James was still bloody annoying, but now it was less about childish behavior and more about him always bending the rules, being loud and ruffling his god damn hair all the time. Not that he had gotten any better with giving up an argument.

He was still a show-off, but after befriending with Remus on their fifth year she had got to know some of James’ better sides as well. If he had not been such a boastful toerag, she might have even liked him.

A sound coming from the desk right behind her brought Lily back from her thoughts – then something knocked the chair loudly on the floor.

Lily sighted of surprise. “Wha – “

James' hand covered her mouth, and another found its way back on her back keeping her in place before she had the change to finish her question or turn to see what had happened. They heard Mr. Filch grousing to his cat, asking what all that noise was about, asking had it heard the students, such hooligans, running around at night, unauthorized. Her heart was pounding faster as she looked at James like a doe caught in headlights.

It must have been Mrs. Norris to jump on the desk next to them, knocking off the chair. Lily could not see the creature, but she could hear its meow. She could hear Mr. Filch walking towards them and she had a horrible feeling that the cat must have been looking right through them, as if it knew. Suddenly every breath they took sounded much louder.

She did not dare to move. She saw him looking somewhere behind her and towards the caretaker, his expression serious and focused, as if he was on a Quidditch field aiming for the goal. James glanced down at her, and there was no worry of getting caught in his eyes. As Mr. Filch stopped to pet his cat just few feet from them, she found something reassuring in James' mischievous grin – if anyone was going to outsmart the caretaker in a nightly hide and seek, it was that bloody hazel eyed marauder.

“We’re okay.” He formed the words without speaking them, as she heard someone lift the previously fallen chair.

She nodded slowly.

After a while Mrs. Norris jumped off the desk following her master who was walking again, footsteps receding from them. It was only then that Lily dared to breath properly again, and James let his hand fall, uncovering her mouth.

There was another one of his roguish grins lingering on James' face as the messy haired boy leaned closer to her.

“Rather unfair for you to kill me if you're the one busting us,” he hissed in hear ear, so softly it almost made no noise at all.

His voice tickling the tip of her ear together with the tormenting waiting gave her chills, and her body betrayed her as the sensation made her blush in the shadow of the lantern. And in that moment, she was no longer sure if it was the fear of getting caught that made the situation so thrilling, or if it was his hand on her back, his scent that reminded her of fresh laundry and the forest on the castle grounds, or his words in her ear creating butterflies in her stomach.

But it could not be, for it was James - arrogant, stupid James, always joking and showing off, never admitting his loss and carrying on hazardous pranks. She refused to think of him as anything else.

It felt like forever when the boy finally straightened his posture, their cheeks lightly touching as he moved. When she glanced up at him he suddenly stopped to look at her, and he must have stopped her lungs as well because it felt like she was suddenly bursting. He must have been aware of their lips because she sure as well was, so close they almost touched.

And it was James – clever and funny James, always defending his friends, always willing to guide a lost firstie. James who seemed to know everything about latent particulars of transfiguration, and James who punched Mulciber right in the face after the Slytherin insulted her. That had been idiotic of course.

Now that he was so close it felt as though she needed to strive to get air in their lungs and for a split second she thought he would bring his lips to hers and Merlin she found she hoped he would – but no. James simply straightened his posture as if there had been nothing unusual, as if her world had not just turned around.

The class room door closed and it made her flinch. Mr. Filch was gone.

“So, you like it?” he asked a little later when the threat of getting caught had passed by.

It was only then that she woke up from the confused state James had left her earlier. “What?”

“When I call you Lils. You like it, don't you?”

They simply stood there for few seconds, staring at each other. The way he was able to return so casually to their earlier topic amused her as she combined herself again. And when she did, the curious look on his face was greeted with her forever stubborn eyes of forest green.

“I told you not to call me that.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“There's still a change I have to kill you, Potter, so get your hand off my back and let’s finish this smuggling project of yours,” she said.

He did not debate it any longer and she got her way, but there was a smile in the corner of his mouth as his hands found the front pockets of his jeans.

“Okay then, Evans.”

But then again, it was a one short moment under his invisibility cloak, a rush of excitement and foolish danger, and at least a hundred bouncing heartbeats too late for her. There she was, staring at those hazel eyes, crushing on a messy haired chaser she never thought she’d fall for.


End file.
